Aloha Poke Co.®Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A ALOHA POKE CO.® franchise requires a total initial investment of $141K – $476K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $743K[2]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $141K – $476K
- 5th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $743K
- 5th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 17
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 100.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Full-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchised units fell from 5 to 2 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
61% cash-on-cash return. Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $141K – $476K including a $35K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $743K/year (median $642K), with an estimated 61% cash-on-cash return.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 56/100.
- Bankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Aloha Poke Franchising LLC
- Parent company
- Aloha Poke Holdings LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Christopher Birkinshaw
- Incorporated in
- IL
- HQ
- 445 W. Erie Street, Suite 200, Chicago, Illinois 60654
- Auditor
- Plante & Moran, PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $80K
- vs $92K prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate fast-casual poke bowl restaurants, managing daily food prep, assembly, inventory, and customer service in a quick-service format. The model emphasizes customizable Hawaiian-style poke bowls with fresh fish, rice, and toppings, competing in the fast-casual/health-conscious segment.
- CEO
- Christopher Birkinshaw
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 2016
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 5
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $30K | $35K | |
| One Month's Rentnot refundable | $2K | $7K | |
| One Month's Security Deposit | $2K | $7K | |
| Architect Feenot refundable | $500 | $15K | |
| Construction / Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $55K | $280K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipmentnot refundable | $19K | $48K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $2K | $17K | |
| Opening Inventory and Suppliesnot refundable | $4K | $10K | |
| Point-of-Sale and Computer Systemsnot refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Market Introduction Programnot refundable | $5K | $5K | |
| Training Expensesnot refundable | $5K | $10K | |
| Insurance (Annual)not refundable | $3K | $4K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $2K | $5K | |
| Business Licenses and Permitsnot refundable | $1K | $7K | |
| Additional funds - 3 monthsnot refundable | $10K | $25K | |
| Total initial investment | $141K | $476K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$89K
12.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
27%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
3.7 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $141K – $476K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $35K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 1.6 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $300 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
A 6.0% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $743K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $642K
- Avg net income
- $188K
- Cash-on-cash
- 60.9%
- Based on Net Income / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Average and Median
- Sample size
- 14 units
- vs category median 13
- Range (low → high)
- $549K→$1.0M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- none
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Transparency
- 10 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Aloha Poke Co.® Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 17
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 12
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 29%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 9.1%
- Net growth (yr3)
- +66.7%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +150.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 6
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 5.9%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 5 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
5
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 4 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 4
- Loan volume
- $1.1M
- Median loan
- $275K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- 100.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- 100.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 3
- Defaults
- 1
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Rapidly expanding poke bowl concept with undocumented financial claims, narrow unit base, and unclear unit-level profitability for franchisees at the higher end of investment range.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Bankruptcy Code; (b) obtained a discharge of its debts under the bankruptcy code; or (c) was a principal officer of a company or a general partner in a partnership that either filed as a debtor (or had filed against it) a petition to start an action under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or that obtained a
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Plante & Moran, PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 56 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHNo Item 19 financial performance representation disclosed ('Going Concern: False') — cannot independently verify claimed $187,887 average net income
- 02MINORAggressive unit growth of 66.7% YoY with only 17 total units suggests rapid expansion without proven unit stability or long-term track record
- 03MEDHigh investment range ($140,900–$475,930) relative to disclosed average net income ($187,887) yields marginal ROI and extended payback period of 3–5+ years
- 04MINOR5% royalty on gross sales plus typical overhead (rent, labor, food costs) may compress margins below stated net income averages in mature/slower units
- 05MEDLimited franchisee sample size (17 units) increases statistical volatility and reduces confidence in average performance metrics
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Illinois |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 64 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Site selection
- joint
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
1 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
ALOHA POKE CO.® · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a ALOHA POKE CO.® franchise?
The total investment to open a ALOHA POKE CO.® franchise ranges from $141K – $476K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do ALOHA POKE CO.® franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the ALOHA POKE CO.® FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $743K. The median is $642K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is ALOHA POKE CO.®'s franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for ALOHA POKE CO.® (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many ALOHA POKE CO.® franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, ALOHA POKE CO.® has 17 total units in the United States, including 5 franchised units and 12 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is ALOHA POKE CO.® a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates ALOHA POKE CO.® as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 56 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.